Wire and cable such as that used in the electrical power and communications industries has long been wound onto large cable reels for storage and transport. While some cable reels are made of metal, others are made of wood. Wooden cable reels typically include a central cylindrical drum secured to disc-shaped flanges at its ends. The central drum traditionally is made of elongated wooden staves that have an arcuate cross-section and that are assembled side-by-side to form the cylindrical shape of the drum. The ends of the staves are usually received in annular routes formed in the inside surfaces of the flanges, and a plurality of subheads may be disposed around the interior of the routes to provide extra support for the ends of the drum. When all of the staves are assembled with their ends disposed in the routes of the flanges, long metal bolts are extended through holes in the flanges and nuts are threaded onto one or both of their ends and tightened to hold the flanges securely against the ends of the drum and thus to hold the cable reel together.
When wire or cable (or some other product) is wound helically around the reel drum of a cable reel, a tremendous amount of radially inwardly directed force or pressure can be asserted on the drum, which must be born by the staves of the drum. For longer cable reels, this can result in an inward bowing of the drum at its center, or even in failure of one or more of the drum staves. Accordingly, one or more center supports may be installed within the drum to provide supplemental support for the central regions of the staves and thus the drum. Traditionally, a cable reel center support has consisted of a wooden or plywood disc disposed within the drum between its ends and having a diameter equal to the interior diameter of the drum. During construction of the cable reel, the staves that form the drum are assembled around the center support disc and are secured thereto with fasteners, such as nails or screws, extending through the staves and into the peripheral edge of the disc. The disc also may be toe nailed in place from the outside of the drum or held in place by nailing, screwing, or blocking on the interior of the drum. When the flanges are secured to the ends of the drum, the center support disc provides radial support to the drum between its ends to resist the pressures and forces generated when cable is wound onto the cable reel. In some cases, more than one support disc may be used.
While traditional center support discs provide adequate central support to drums of cable reels, they nevertheless have demonstrated certain problems and shortcomings. For example, they are relatively time consuming and thus expensive to construct from wood and the installation of a center support disc within the drum can be complicated and labor intensive. Further, the disc can come loose or get out of place after the reel is loaded and no longer provide support. This can result in problems unloading the reel, or even complete collapse of the reel. Perhaps more significantly, however, the fasteners that hold center support disc within the drum have been known to loosen and back out under the pressures and stresses endured by cable reels. This, in turn, has been known to damage cable wound onto the cable reel and even to render portions of the cable unusable. This can be a significant issue since tens of thousands of dollars worth of cable can easily be stored on a single wooden cable reel. Finally, while cable reel recycling programs exist, it has been found that the wooden center support discs of cable reels do not always survive in sufficient condition to be re-used, and thus are discarded.
Accordingly, a need exists for a method and apparatus for providing radial central support to cable reel drums that, among other things, addresses the problems and shortcomings of traditional center support discs. More specifically, the apparatus should be economical, provide for easy assembly compared to support discs, and be virtually completely recyclable. There should be no fasteners positioned to back out or become loose in such a way that they can damage cable wound onto the cable reel during storage, transport, and use. It is to the provision of such an apparatus and method that the present disclosure is primarily directed.